Batting

(PRESQUE ISLE, ME) -- The University of Maine-Presque Isle baseball team continued its dominance over Eastern Maine Community College on Senior Day Saturday. Playing at Presque Isle High School, the Owls swept a doubleheader from the Golden Eagles 7-0 and 13-0. Presque Isle (14-23) is now 5-0 vs. the EMCC (3-20) this season. The two teams will dial it up again on Sunday for another twinbill (12pm and 2pm). The games will be the final contests of the season for both programs.

Game 1: OWLS 7, Eastern Maine CC 0
WP- Worster (4-2)
LP- Harris

Carlos Villoria (Sr./Caracas, Venezuela) laced an 2 RBI single in the bottom of the first to score Justin Bergeron (Jr./Tiverton, RI) and Jordan Duffy ( Sr./Fort Augustus, PEI), who had reached on back-to-back doubles to give the Owls a quick 2-0 advantage.

Both team squandered scoring opportunities in the 3rd inning.

Still up 2-0, Dylan Worster (Jr./Howland, ME) worked out of trouble in the top of the third. EMCC pitcher AJ Harris reached on an error and one better later, moved to second on a single by LF Nate Dow. After Worster induced a flyout to left, a head's up play by his catcher Alex Csiernik (Jr./Hamilton, Ontario) cut down the lead runner. After the 2nd pitch to Andrew Giosa, Harris stranded a little too far from the bag at 2nd. Csiernik briefly ran out towards the Golden Eagle pitcher and then fired a strike behind him to 2B Bergeron. Caught in a rundown, Harris was eventually retired 2-4-5. Worster then induced a 5-3 groundout from Giosa to get out of trouble.

A baserunning error also cut a promising inning short for the Owls in the bottom of the 3rd. Duffy led things off with a single just under the glove of 1B Casey Wickens. Villoria followed with a four-pitch walk. Before DH Daniel Lewis (Gardner Mines, NS) had a chance to bring anyone in, Duffy was picked off at 2nd. Two flyouts to right by Lewis and Logan McLaughlin (Fr./Mars Hill, ME) ended the threat with no runs getting across.

Decision-making on the basepaths almost haunted the Owls again in the 4th. With two on, nobody out, and the #9 spot in the order coming up, coach Leo Saucier opted to play for the sacrifice bunt. Shane Smith (Jr./Farmington, ME) laid one down in front of the pitcher Harris who spun and threw to 3rd. Stephen Thorne (Sr./Dalhousie, NB), who had entered the game as a courtesy runner, appeared to think the play was going to first and eased up as he approached third choosing not to slide. Harris' throw beat him by a step and the Owls' lead runner was cut down. A Bergeron strikeout followed and UMPI appeared as though it would miss out on a golden opportunity to extend its lead. However, as they would do all afternoon, Duffy and Villoria delivered, producing a single and double respectively to bring two runs across and give the Owls a 4-0 lead.

After two more runs in the 5th, Villoria closed out the scoring in the 6th. The first baseman was hit by a pitch. The Caracas, Venezuela native then stole second and third base before coming in two batters later on a Josiah Brazier (Jr./Searsport, ME) RBI groundout to third.

Worster, who worked in and out of trouble all afternoon, had benefitted from some great defense in the top of the 5th. With the bases loaded and two outs, Dustin Sawtelle hit a bouncer to the hole at short that looked destine for left field. Duffy ranged over to glove it and threw off-balance to second to get the force and keep the shutout intact.

That was the last time the Golden Eagles would threaten as Worster completed six shutout frames before giving way to Jordan Perry (Jr./Baileyville, ME) who tossed a clean 7th to end game one. Worster earned his fourth win of the season, scattering 6 hits and striking out 3.

Duffy was 3-4 at the plate for Presque Isle. Villoria reached base in all four plate appearances (2-2, HBP, BB), drove in three, and stole four bases.

Game 2: OWLS 13, Eastern Maine CC 0WP- Geel (1-4) LP- Landeen

In game two, the Owls once again pounced early. Taking advantage of two Golden Eagle errors, Presque Isle plated four runners in the bottom of the first on four hits. Duffy, Villoria, and Csiernik all collected RBI in the frame.

After the Golden Eagles were unable to score in top of the 2nd, the Owl bats went back to work. Four more hits led to four more runs and the Owls found themselves up 8-0 after two.

The Golden Eagles seemed to run out of gas after that, earning more errors in the contest (6) than basehits (4).

Adam Geel (Fr./Calais, ME) kept EMCC frustrated at the plate through 5 innings of work. Geel put together his most dominant performance of the season in earning his first collegiate win. The rookie right-hander cruised through 5 innings of shutout baseball, scattering 3 hits, walking two, and striking out 7. Ghazaleh Sailors (So./Santa Barbara, CA) and Max Mayer (Sr./Oxford, ME) each tossed a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the shutout.

Presque Isle 1-3 hitters (Smith, Duffy, Villoria) combined to go 7-11, scoring 4 times and driving in 8 of the team's 13 runs. On the day, Villoria was not retired in an official at bat, finishing 6-6 in the twinbill.

Baseball Notes:

* UMPI celebrated Senior Day, honoring six seniors between games on Saturday afternoon. Jake Fillebrown (Stoneham, ME) and Stephen Thorne (Dalhousie, NB) have played for coach Leo Saucier all four years they have been at Presque Isle. Villoria and Anthony Batchelder (West Enfield, ME) have completed three seasons with the team. Duffy and Mayer both played two seasons and will be graduating later this May.

* With Villoria's 6 hits on Saturday, he now has 58 for the season. That total is a new UMaine-Presque Isle baseball season high. Coming into the day's action, Villoria was tied for 4th place for hits in the USCAA. The Owl first baseman is now hitting .436.

* With his 5 scoreless innings on Saturday, Geel lowered his ERA to 3.46 in 39 innings pitched this season.

* Duffy's 6-8 performance at the plate gives him 43 base hits this season. That is the exact total the shortstop had last season, his first in Presque Isle. He is hitting .368 in 2013.

* Before today's games, UMPI softball senior SS/3B Kellie Peers (Caswell, ME) was honored by her teammates and fans for 4 years of service to Owls softball program. The softball team was unable to hold its own Senior Day games on account of two scheduled softball doubleheaders vs. EMCC being cancelled this weekend due to the Golden Eagles not having enough healthy/available players to make trip to Presque Isle.